...When You Need a Hand

On the way to work today, the original version of "Lean on Me" came on the radio. I have always had a fondness for this song because I love the idea of having a soft place to land in times of need. As I sang along, I was reminded of how many people are in need--especially at this time of the year.

Throughout our nation, we hear of so many people who are going without the basic necessities: food, clothing, and/or shelter. This isn't a Third World country (not that those citizens deserve to suffer either); this is the United States. The United States is supposed to be first world and first rate. It makes me ache to the very core of my being to know that somewhere there is a child, a man, a woman, a person who has to do without. I don't mean without steak, without Polo or without a mansion. Those things that I mention are trappings of privilege. I'm talking about good nourishment, appropriate clothing and safe housing. The very basic of the very basic necessities it takes to sustain a society; the very basic of what it takes to build a nation...the very basic.

Too many people are using food cupboards, clothing closets and homeless shelters. Too many families cannot provide for the everyday needs of their children in the current economic situations. Even the fabled "Joneses" can't keep up with their past imitable lifestyles. We allegedly live in a land of plenty, but the only plenty is the plenty of folks who can't keep their heads above water.

How many of us, in our daily lives, think about ways that we can enrich the lives of others? How many of us work to better the lives of those who are less fortunate? How many of us are willing to split our daily bread if we are able? If you are able, are you willing to share yours with someone in need? Someone whose "enough" never seems to be?

And let me ask another thing--are you that someone in need? Are you suffering in silence, too afraid to ask for assistance? Too ashamed to seek help? Well, as my grandmother has said over and over, "a closed mouth don't get fed." And that is in the literal and figurative sense. Let me tell you something, I will pile my house floor to ceiling in order to help the people I love if they are in need.

I know that times are tough for everyone and many don't know how they are going to make it to the next week. I get that, but I'm talking to the folks who have extra and won't share; who have extra and won't give. When you go grocery shopping, buy a couple of extra canned goods to donate to a food cupboard. If you catch some linens on sale, buy them and donate them to a homeless shelter. If you get a chance, go lobby for suitable low income housing. Do something. Because you know what? There will be a time when you need something from someone because as Bill Withers sings, "We ALL need somebody to lean on." So if you are able, stand up with your back braced against the need and be that person for someone to lean on.

Peace.

"Lean on Me" by Kirk Franklin

From the Soul: I Love My Grandma!!!

I LOVE MY GRANDMA!! Anyone who knows me, knows that me and my grandmother are tighter than pantyhose two sizes small ("Good Times" reference). I have lived with her my entire life that I can remember (until I married and moved out) and she has always been my strongest cheering section. I am 37 years old and I have seen my grandmother almost everyday of my life. God has blessed her to be 83 years old with all of her mental and physical abilities. I live fewer than five drivable minutes away and she comes to visit us everyday.

My children have the benefit of this loving elder who feeds their dreams with peppermints and kind words, who encourages their growth with her laughter and smiles. My grandmother loves my children and my husband as if she gave birth to them; in fact, she loves them like she loves me. My grandmother is our family matriarch, the keeper of our family history and a walking library of the black experience. She is a wonderful testament to the adage that "black don't crack" because she looks about two decades younger than she is. She is a feisty old lady with style, grace, class and poise. In fact, if I grow up to be half the woman that she is--well, let's just say that I will be something to behold.

I LOVE MY GRANDMA and I want everyone to know that she has poured the best of herself into me, a child that wasn't hers, but that she could not have loved more. I am grateful to my grandmother for giving me feathers for my first pair of wings. I am her namesake (the Cornell is from her), her pride and her granddaughter. It is good to be me.

Here are two versions of the Bill Withers' classic, "Grandma's Hands." ENJOY!!

Bill Withers "Grandma's Hands" (The Original Version)





Y'Anna Crawley "Grandma's Hands" (BET Sunday's Best version)

Good Morning Sunshine!!

What a beautiful morning! Every time you can wake to see another day, it is a beautiful morning. When was the last time you greeted the morning like a long lost friend? When was the last time you greeted a new day with joy and happiness? I know we all get down and life can be quite cruel at times, but each day is a blessing on your life and you are a blessing to the world.

Try this: lie in bed a few minutes before you get up. As you lie in bed, inhale and exhale a few times to get rid of last night's residue. Then stretch from your toes to your neck. Feel each movement; relish each stretch. Breathe deeply a few more times--in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and listen--to your breathing, your heartbeat, your lover's movements... Soak in the beauty of morning and then get up to greet your day. I can't promise that a good attitude upon waking will make your day go well, but good energy is always good for your soul.

What a beautiful morning...